The present invention relates to brake systems of small transmissions and transaxles for riding lawn mowers, garden tractors, and the like. More specifically, the field of the invention is that of self-adjusting brakes for such small transmissions and transaxles.
Prior art self-adjusting brake systems have utilized the general concept of a ratcheting mechanism for automatic adjustment to compensate for brake wear. The ratcheting mechanisms generally consist of a spring-controlled brake lever with ratchet cogs which engage with the teeth of a wheel fixed to a shaft. With successive wear of the braking system, the ratchet cogs engage in new teeth, causing rotation of the wheel, and adjustment of the braking system inward to compensate for wear. The ratcheting systems in the prior art also include a multitude of specialized, custom parts to accomplish the self-adjusting braking capability.
A self-adjusting brake system for small transmissions such as those used on lawn tractors, garden tractors, and the like is needed to reduce the amount of periodic adjustments required to the brake system. In addition, a self-adjusting brake system which eliminates the need for expensive custom parts, and which uses existing hardware, is needed to allow for a simple, cost-effective improvement to existing brake systems.